European job ads on Facebook? Beware, they might be scams

The Office of the Police Attaché (OPA) and the Philippine Embassy in Thailand warned Filipinos to avoid becoming victims of illegal job recruitment schemes, especially those advertised on social media platforms like Facebook. Police Colonel Dominador Matalang and the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) section of the Philippine Embassy assisted three Filipino nationals who were denied boarding at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on September 1, due to fake visas and other fraudulent work documents.

The recruitment process and the backdoor routes are similar to the Myanmar scam.

The process

Olivia, a former OFW looking for a job in Europe, met a certain “Lelian Liban Linsag,” the contact person of Facebook page Job for You International (JFYI). This page claims to help job seekers find positions as warehouse personnel, factory workers, farm workers, and construction workers across Europe. It claimed to have an office in Dubai. Linsag asked for P150,000 processing fees to work in either Poland or the Czech Republic. She also promised Olivia a salary of 1,200 euros per month. Olivia paid the amount to Linsag’s bank account in the Philippines. After two weeks, she received her work permit via email but was required to pay an additional PHP 7,000 for a hard copy sent through DHL. Linsag claimed that the work permit was sent from Czech Republic, then to Dubai, and to the Philippines.

The forged visa to Czech Republic. (Photo courtesy by the Office of the Police Attache)

Jake, another former OFW who also sought work in the Czech Republic, paid  P400,000 for processing fees. Despite receiving work permits, neither Olivia nor Jake obtained visas. Linsag created a group chat on WhatsApp and scheduled online meetings via Google Meet but never appeared on the video calls. Linsag also promised to make an appointment to VFS Global for their visas, but always made an excuse that there were no more appointment slots. By June, Olivia received a copy of her contract, which was not verified by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). As a former OFW, Olivia knew the process. But Linsag insisted that it would take another 3-4 months for POLO verification that might delay their flight to Europe. Linsag even mentioned connections with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and reassuring them not to worry about the Bureau of Immigration.

Olivia and Jake sent their passports through DHL to a certain Johnlee Rosales in Malaysia to obtain a “visa.” Their other companions sent their passports to a certain Ara Mae Rodollo who sent it to Rosales. Linsag reassured them that everything would be fine and by September 1, they would be in Europe.

Back doors: Tawi-tawi to Kota Kinabalu

Despite the suspicious explanations, Olivia, Jake, and four others from their ‘batch’ followed Linsag’s and Rosales’ instructions.

On August 6, the group flew to Zamboanga and then to Tawi-Tawi. Upon reaching Tawi-Tawi, they took a short boat ride to Sitangkai Island, accompanied by a certain ‘Mr. Black.’ The group stayed at Mr. Black’s house. At 10 p.m. on August 7, after receiving a go signal from ‘someone,’ the group packed up and took another motorboat, eventually reaching a location called ‘Payag-payag’ in the middle of the sea.

The small port in Sitangkai which is usually used as a “back door” for trafficking. (Photo courtesy by the Office of the Police Attache)Payag-payag is a small resting place for illegal transactions. At around 2:30 am, the group was split into two small motor boats.

Jake noticed that, in addition to the two motorboats, there were four other boats and two rubber boats escorting them. He assumed that two of the boats would act as decoys at checkpoints, allowing the other boats to pass.

Olivia and Jake were together in a small boat with another man, operating the boat. Olivia was the only woman in their group. She claimed to have experienced sexual harassment from the boatman. Jake could not do anything fearing for their safety. The larger boat with their four other companions waited for them. She asked to be transferred to that boat. They believed that their escorts were either Tausug or Malaysians.

Upon reaching Semporna, Sabah, Rosales contacted them. Two vehicles were waiting, and they were driven to Kota Kinabalu. Olivia said the driver gave her a fake Malaysian ID card and instructed her to wear a veil to pass through the checkpoints more easily.

The group stayed in Kota Kinabalu for four days. They already had their passports with forged entry and exit stamps known as “chop-chop.” Jake alleged that an Immigration official was part of the scam because they were able to board their flight to Kuala Lumpur without an issue.

They arrived in Kuala Lumpur on August 13. Rosales met them at the airport and checked them into a condo, where they stayed for two weeks.

Malaysia to Thailand

Olivia, Jake, and another companion were the first to leave KL. They took a bus to Changlun.

In Changlun, they stayed for a week in a hotel before another contact took them to the border. Despite having contact with their families in the Philippines, the three never revealed anything about their situation. They still hoped that they could reach Europe.

In the morning of August 28, a vehicle fetched them and brought them to a forested area. They were left in a ravine and told to enter a tunnel where five men were waiting for them. Their baggage were left in the car.

They walked for almost four hours until another vehicle fetched them and brought them to Pedang Besar, which is the border between Malaysia and Hat Yai, Thailand. From there, the three Filipinos were left in a small hotel.

They legally entered Thailand on August 30.

‘Drug Mule Scam’

But their ordeal was not about to end. Rosales called them to say that the men who escorted them in the border found one kilo of shabu and marijuana and a knife in their baggage. Rosales told them that they need to pay RM 10 thousand to get their baggage. The three denied the allegations. They asked for photographs as proof, but Rosales could not provide any.

Denied boarding

On September 1, the three were supposed to board Korean Air flight from Bangkok to Prague, with a short layover in Seoul at 11:30 pm. Upon presenting their visa, the airline staff told them that there was a problem with their documents. The staff also asked them several questions including why they did not have checked-in baggage. Fortunately, they were not brought to the Immigration Office for further interrogation; otherwise, they might have been detained.

“Our tickets are legitimate because we purchased them directly. We finally realized that we were really scammed,” Olivia said.

Jake tried to contact Rosales who denied that their visa and other documents were fake. Rosales even suggested that they take the Turkey-Greece route or “work” in Myanmar or Cambodia, while waiting for their flight to Czech Republic.

Jake informed their relatives in the Philippines who sought the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok. Their three companions still in Malaysia were also turned over to the Migrant Workers Office- Kuala Lumpur (MWO-KL).

They were repatriated to the Philippines on September 7.

Enhance Security in ‘backdoors’

According to the data of OPA and the Philippine Embassy, since January 2024, there are 81 human trafficking victims (HTVs) from Myanmar, and 150 HTVs from Laos have received assistance and been repatriated to the Philippines.

Despite the challenges in curbing human trafficking, Colonel Matalang emphasized that One Country Team Approach (OCTA) is essential to improving and efficiently responding to the needs of the Filipino migrants, especially those who are in distress.

Colonel Matalang praised the Korean Air staff at Suvarnabhumi for their discretion during the check-in. He highlighted the need for additional training to identify possible victims of trafficking.

He also recommended enhanced security measures, including passenger profiling, for travelers heading to Zamboanga, Bongao and Sitangkai in Tawi-tawi, at both airports and seaports.

“If you want to work abroad, check first with the DMW and follow the process,” Col. Matalang said.